Evaluating river water quality in Europe: a novel methodology for tracking human impact and sustainable development goals alignment.

Nutrient inputs and organic matter indicate human pressure on freshwater systems and are key contributors to damaging river water quality. This study evaluates the current state of European river water quality by analysing phosphate and Biochemical Oxygen Demand data from Eurostat over seven years. The new applied methodology established a composite indicator (Human Pressure on River Ecosystems) to assess river conditions and track recent water quality trends, offering into Member States' progress towards sustainability and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The results obtained represent an initial insight into spatial and temporal trends in human pressure on rivers. In terms of pressure on rivers, over 68% of countries have experienced a decline in phosphate concentrations, whereas up to 70% of Member States have achieved reductions in organic pollution levels. Slovenia and Ireland exhibit the most sustainable river ecosystems, achieving scores above 95%, which reflect effective water resource management and support compliance with the target values set for 2030. Other countries, such as Finland, Estonia, and Denmark, are also performing well when tracking progress towards the SDGs. In contrast, the lowest-ranking countries are Spain and Romania, highlighting significant challenges in water resource management and water quality, as the condition of their rivers fails to meet the required quality standards for 2030.